vox populi small thumbnail 'We are supposed to tighten our belts while Najib spends RM65 million to renovate his residence, and an insane amount on Ng Yen Yen's overseas trips.'

RON 97 goes up 5 sen

Freemsia: "Critics say forcing consumers to tighten their belts without the government undergoing an austerity drive was meaningless."

That is so true. We are supposed to tighten our belts while PM Najib Razak will be spending RM65 million to renovate his residence in Putrajaya, not to mention the insane amount spent by Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen on her overseas trips . And the list goes on.

Monsterball: There it is, the government can afford to spend billions of ringgit for the 100-storey building, but petrol prices must increase as the government cannot subsidise it anymore.

Actually, there's no need to subsidise if the crooks do not keep stealing billions every year. This is the kind of Umno government we have.

Who suffers most from cigarettes and oil increases? The rich do not care if one pack cost RM20. But the farmers and factory workers do. Those with millions of ringgit and driving Mercedes and BMWs do not feel the pinch too. Ordinary wage earners do. They call this a government for the people?

Focus: I'd have no issue with the price increase if the BN government was a good steward of the rakyat's money. But they are not. The BN government is no longer relevant to the rakyat. They are too detached and distant. Their end is near. The final curtain is falling on them soon.

Lim Cheng Inn: There's no point complaining, because the government cannot understand what the rakyat are going through. I guess the poor can have free cow grass to eat as ulam (side dish).

Rick Teo: ‘Kerajaan tak ada duit', so they have to increase petrol prices. Otherwise, how to build and feed those Umno contractors? The government will build a 100-storey tower, and send another man to space to see if he can see the 100-storey tower from outer space.

Then after that we must ‘naik cukai on kereta' and income tax. Umno must look after Class F contractors, but the rakyat have to tighten their belts.

P Dev Anand Pillai: It is a pity that most Malaysians, being naive and dumb as they have been engineered to be, will continue to be swayed with the public relations promos that the PM Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, are doing.

Despite promising to hear out what the rakyat have to say in how the country is governed, the regime continues in what it knows best, i.e. arbitrary abuse of power and passing down the cost to the people by increasing everything.

The people are burdened with high soaring prices of goods and the leaders get allocations to renovate their official homes.

But despite this, we will still have people who support this regime because as witnessed in Galas, all it takes is to provide a T-shirt , a goodie bag with some ringgit notes in it and most dumb Malaysians will dance away to the tune of 1Malaysia. As long as the rakyat remains stupid, we deserve the federal government we get.

Tok Janggut: The bigger the price difference between RON 95 and 97, the more likelihood there will be hanky-panky at petrol kiosks, and one of the following could happen:

1) Users get cheated by the kiosk which will sell RON 95 at their 97 pumps.

2) Black market of RON 95 to foreigners

3) Buyers bribing kiosks to sell RON 95 to them.

How do we control the above?

After Clinton talks, M'sia pledges fair trial for Anwar

Ferdtan: Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, we Malaysian are all tired of the government's rhetoric of giving Anwar Ibrahim a fair trial. Nice words, but where are the action? The charge has no basis at all.

Even the charge is so ridiculously wrong - the attorney-general said it was consensual sex but the victim, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, said it was non-consensual.

Isa@1penyu: What's all the big fuss about? There could so many elements of truth in all these accusations. No one in the right frame of mind would cook up the same story twice. Maybe we should ask Anwar to explain why the good looking boys he hires are deserting him one by one. He takes his tea boy overseas - that's how most people treat their tea boys?

Passing Cloud: From Day 1 in this Sodomy II sandiwara, the man-in-the-street has been sceptical over a fair trial for Anwar. The Umno-led BN government is perceived to be going all out to nail Anwar, come what may

The government now has to prove its sincerity in its words before the people believe you, Anifah. Otherwise, it's just another "cakap-cakap saja, seperti bos Najib". That's what Umno/BN is in the minds of the people.

Rolls-Royce: You are the foreign minister, what do you mean Anwar will get the fair trial after your talk with Hillary Clinton? Are you admitting that before this, Anwar did not get a fair trial? Are you also admitting that the judiciary is at your directive? You pledged, mind you. You are now sure Anwar will get the fair trial because you will direct the judiciary and the AG's Chambers to do so?

That is how I would have interpreted your statement. But then, since when have the official statements of ministers in Malaysia been of any value? We say things we don't mean especially in the presence of our important visitors.

Wanita Umno's spending spree 'not a bribe'

Ben: According to Election Commission chief Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, bribery for votes is difficult to prove, as one cannot show that the recipient will vote for the party which disbursed the 'bribe'.

Abdul Aziz is lying. I have worked as an election officer at the Mersing voting centre in the 1980s. For every voting ticket (which is numbered) I gave to the voter, I had to mark down the voter's registration number in the counterfoil of the voting ticket. That's the way the ruling government has the upper hand over the opposition.

The ruling government works hand in glove with the Election Commission. They can analise the voting trends of the voters in each constituent. They can even find out who vote which party. That's the truth.

Malaysians Are Not Stupid: Of course, it is not corruption. Giving bribes and corruption has become such a part of life in Malaysia under the BN that it is normal to give money to get things done.

So giving money to get someone to vote for you is okay. It is not a corrupt act. It is helping the poor. It is contribution to the rakyat, ‘jasa BN kepada bangsa, agama dan negara'. It is pocket money for the rakyat for taking the trouble to vote. Call it anything you want but corruption or bribing, because it is accepted way of life.

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